Response covariance-based sensor placement for structural damage detection

One important function of a structural health monitoring system is to detect structural damage in a structure. However, this is a very challenging task since the measurement is often incomplete in a civil structure due to a limited number of sensors. This paper presents a response covariance-based sensor placement method for structural damage detection with two objective functions for optimisation. The relationship between the covariance of acceleration responses and the covariance of unit impulse responses of a structure subjected to multiple white noise excitations is first derived. The response covariance-based damage detection method is then presented. Two objective functions based on the response covariance sensitivity and the response independence are, respectively, formulated and finally integrated into a single objective function for optimal sensor placement. Numerical studies are conducted to investigate the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed method via a three-dimensional frame structure. Numerical results show that the proposed method with the backward sequential sensor placement algorithm is effective for damage detection.     

Transcriptional Regulation of Programmed Hypertension by Melatonin: An Epigenetic Perspective

Melatonin is an endogenously produced indoleamine and secreted by the pineal gland. Melatonin has pleiotropic bioactivities and is involved in epigenetic regulation. Suboptimal conditions during maternal and perinatal phases can elicit epigenetic regulation of genes for nephrogenesis and reset physiological responses to develop programmed hypertension. This review discusses the early utility of melatonin to prevent programmed hypertension in later life by epigenetic regulation in the kidney, with an emphasis on: (1) the role of melatonin in epigenetic regulation; (2) the beneficial effects of melatonin on programmed hypertension; (3) epigenetic regulation of maternal melatonin therapy in different developmental windows of offspring kidneys analyzed by whole-genome RNA next-generation sequencing; and (4) current blocks in the application of melatonin in preventing programmed hypertension.     

Multivariate analyses of the physicochemical properties of turnip (Brassica rapa L.) chips dried using different methods

Abstract

The turnip is a traditional “medicine food homology” vegetable in China, but the processing of it remains traditional and limited. To increase and diversify the consumption of turnips, freeze drying (FD), explosion puff drying (EPD), infrared drying (ID), and hot air drying (AD) were used to produce turnip chips. FD chips maintained most of the starch, total sugar, vitamin C, and volume ratio, followed by EPD chips, which exhibited better crisp values and rehydration rate. These results suggest EPD as a favorable method for turnip chip production. The physicochemical properties of turnip chips dried using different methods differed greatly from each other. Principal component analysis revealed that FD produced the best chips, followed by EPD. Hierarchical cluster analysis and orthogonal projection on latent structure-discriminant analysis identified the volume ratio as the characteristic property of FD chips and the contents of soluble dietary fiber and insoluble dietary fiber as the characteristic properties of ID chips, which indicated that multivariate analyses may be used to classify dried products and identify their characteristic properties.     

Roles of Nitric Oxide and Asymmetric Dimethylarginine in Pregnancy and Fetal Programming

Nitric oxide (NO) regulates placental blood flow and actively participates in trophoblast invasion and placental development. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) can inhibit NO synthase, which generates NO. ADMA has been associated with uterine artery flow disturbances such as preeclampsia. Substantial experimental evidence has reliably supported the hypothesis that an adverse in utero environment plays a role in postnatal physiological and pathophysiological programming. Growing evidence suggests that the placental nitrergic system is involved in epigenetic fetal programming. In this review, we discuss the roles of NO and ADMA in normal and compromised pregnancies as well as the link between placental insufficiency and epigenetic fetal programming.     

Effect of pressure on the structure and electrical conductivity of cardanol–furfural–polyaniline blends

Pressure‐sensitive polymers that simultaneously present reasonable electrical conducting properties, useful thermosetting behavior, and softness are hard to develop. To combine these properties into a single material, a cardanol‐based phenolic resin was prepared and blended in situ with polyaniline (PAni). The final polymer blend was composed of a soft solid material that could not be dissolved in ordinary solvents. Samples were characterized through X‐ray scattering, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and electrical conductivity and pressure sensitivity measurements. FTIR results indicate that the insertion of PAni into the blends did not change the chemical nature of the resin. According to wide‐angle X‐ray scattering results, PAni was dispersed homogeneously in the final polymer samples; this improved the sensitivity of the electrical conductivity to pressure variations, as confirmed through electromechanical tests. Pressure sensitivity and electromechanical analyses indicated that the produced blends could be used as pressure‐sensing materials. Among the tested materials, the blends containing 5 wt % PAni·H₂SO₄ presented the largest compression sensitivity values. Finally, it was shown for the first time through XRD analyses under pressure that PAni chains were considerably disturbed by compressive stresses. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011     

Noninvasive Intracranial Compliance From MRI-Based Measurements of Transcranial Blood and CSF Flows: Indirect Versus Direct Approach

Intracranial compliance (ICC) determines the ability of the intracranial compartment to accommodate an increase in volume without a large increase in intracranial pressure (ICP). The clinical utilization of ICC is limited by the invasiveness of current measurement. Several investigators attempted to estimate ICC noninvasively, from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements of cerebral blood and cerebral spinal fluid flows, either using indirect measures of ICC or directly by measuring the ratio of the changes in intracranial volume and pressure during the cardiac cycle. The indirect measures include the phase lag between the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and its driving force, either arterial inflow or net transcranial blood flow. This study compares the sensitivity of phase-based and amplitude-based measures of ICC to changes in ICC. In vivo volumetric blood and CSF flows measured by MRI phase contrast from healthy volunteers and from patients with elevated ICP were used for the comparison. An RLC circuit model of the craniospinal system was utilized to simulate the effect of a change in ICC on the CSF flow waveform. The simulations demonstrated that amplitude-based measures of ICC are considerably more sensitive than phase-based measures, and among the amplitude-based measures, the ICC index provides the most reliable estimate of ICC.